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Farewell iTunes: How to Use the Music App in macOS Catalina

Lance Whitney
 & Lance Whitney Contributor

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iTunes has long been necessary to sync and manage music and other content between your computer and iOS devices. But what started life as a simple piece of software gradually mushroomed into a big, bloated, buggy application that was saddled with too many features for its own good.

For macOS Catalina, Apple finally got the message and has jettisoned iTunes in favor of smaller dedicated applications for your music, podcasts, TV shows and movies, and audiobooks. (It remains in Windows.)

The good news is that you can use the Music app with existing albums, songs, and playlists, and the music you added or bought from iTunes as well as any CDs you ripped will make the leap, too.

Most, but not all, of the menu commands are similar between iTunes and the Music app. The main difference lies in music syncing. To manually sync your music and other content, you now go through Finder instead of iTunes. Here's what else you need to know.

Set Up Music App

The Music app is easy to locate as it sports the familiar iTunes icon. The first time you open it, you'll see a Welcome to Apple Music message. To learn more, click the "Take a Quick Tour" link. Otherwise, click the button to Start Listening. If you're not already signed in, click the Account menu and select Sign in. Then sign in with your Apple ID and password.

View Albums and Artists

Your existing library of music should then appear. You can switch among the different categories for your music, including artists, albums, songs, and music videos. Click Albums to view individual albums from different artists. Choose Artists to see a list of artists in the middle pane. Selecting a specific artist displays each album on the right.

View Songs and Music Videos

The Songs view displays each song by artist, though you can click a different header, such as Name, Time, or Genre, to sort the list differently. If videos were included with any of your albums, click the category for Music Videos to see them. To view albums you've just added, click the category for Recently Added.

Play Music

As with iTunes, click the Play button on an Album to play it starting with the first track. Otherwise, click the album to open it and then click a specific song to play it. You can then pause, resume, skip to the next track, go back to the previous track, shuffle the tracks, repeat the tracks, adjust the volume, and pipe the music to a different device using AirPlay.

iTunes Store

To find, purchase, and download new music, click the entry for iTunes Store. You can then browse among the selections. Tap the price button for an album you wish to purchase.

Apple Music Integration

If you're an Apple Music subscriber, you can play music by selecting any of the entries under Apple Music: For You, Browse, and Radio. If you're not a subscriber, you can still listen to Apple's Beats 1 and other radio stations.

Search the App

Search for music in your library, the iTunes store, or Apple Music. Type the name of an artist, song, genre, or other name in the search field on the left pane. Then tap Apple Music, Your Library, or iTunes Store in the upper right to see the filtered results.

Music App Menu Commands

Many of the menu commands in the Music app are similar to the ones in iTunes. Right-click on an album or song to display the pop-up menu where you can add the album or song to a playlist, play and shuffle the album, get info on the album to see its details and add or change the album art, love or dislike the album, show it in the iTunes Store, get album artwork, or delete the album.

Song Menu

Click the Song menu at the top to find commands to add your current album or song to a playlist, queue up a song to play next or play later, get info on the album or song, or delete it.

Controls Menu

Click the Controls menu for commands to play, stop, change the volume, shuffle, and repeat your current album or lineup of songs.

View Menu

Through the View menu, you can adjust the view of your music and the size of the Music app window.

Account Menu

Through the Account menu, you can sign in or out of your Apple account, authorize or deauthorize your computer to play your music, redeem a gift card or code, and view your purchased music.

Import Music

Like with iTunes, the Music app gives you the ability to import a song or album into your existing library. Click File > Import, then navigate to the folder containing the music you want to import. You can select multiple songs and albums to import all at once, then click the Open button. Return to the Music app, and those albums and songs appear in your library.

File Menu

From the File menu, you can also organize and export your library, import or export a playlist, show duplicate items in your library, and get artwork for your current album.

Change Music App Settings

Finally, you can view and adjust certain settings and preferences for the Music app just as you could with iTunes. Click the Music menu and select Preferences. At the General tab, you can sync your library, turn on automatic downloads, and show certain items. The Sync Library option appears only if you subscribe to Apple Music and will let you access your entire iCloud music library across all your devices.

Playback

In the Playback section, you can adjust the quality and sound of the music and music videos.

Files

In the Files section, you can switch to a different music library, a handy option if you have more than one library or you need to move your library to a different location.

Restrictions

In the Restrictions section, you can disable or restrict certain content.

Advanced

And in the Advanced section, you can opt to automatically update album art, keep the miniplayer on top of other windows, and keep video playback on top of other windows.

How to Discover New Music on Spotify and Apple Music

Finding new tunes takes time, but the top music-streaming services offer a number of ways to inject new artists and songs into your daily routine.

About Our Expert

Lance Whitney

Lance Whitney

Contributor

My Experience

I've been working for PCMag since early 2016 writing tutorials, how-to pieces, and other articles on consumer technology. Beyond PCMag, I've written news stories and tutorials for a variety of other websites and publications, including CNET, ZDNet, TechRepublic, Macworld, PC World, Time, US News & World Report, and AARP Magazine. I spent seven years writing breaking news for CNET as one of the site’s East Coast reporters. I've also written two books for Wiley & Sons—Windows 8: Five Minutes at a Time and Teach Yourself Visually LinkedIn.

My Areas of Expertise

I've used Windows, Office, and other Microsoft products for years so I'm well versed in that world. I also know the Mac quite well. I'm always working with iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, and Android on my various mobile devices. And these days, I write a lot about AI, so that's become another key area for me.

The Tech I Use

My wife always jokes about all the tech products we have around the house, but I manage to put them to good use for my articles. I like Lenovo computers, so I own a couple of Lenovo desktops and several laptops. I have three MacBooks and a Mac mini. For my mobile life and work, I use an iPhone 16 Pro, iPad Pro, and iPad mini as well as an Apple Watch. But since I write about Android, I own several Android phones and tablets. Like any tech person, I have a cabinet full of cables, wires, and assorted mysterious gadgets. And when it's time to take a break from writing, I have an old Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii, both of which I use for exercise and fitness games.

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